WICHITA – The Jets Men's soccer team grabbed their first conference win on Saturday at Wilkins field against a nationally ranked #15 Fort Hays State Tigers team. The Jets won 1-0 off a goal scored early in the second half, and were able to keep a high octane Tigers offense out of the net, marking only the third time this season that they've been held scoreless. A major factor in this was Defender
Matthew Roberts, who held the responsibility of keeping their leading goal scorer Blake Arndt under wraps for most of the game.
First Half
Newman would start out the half playing on their own side of the field, dealing with multiple corner kicks in the opening 16 minutes of play before finally getting a run downfield to put some pressure on Fort Hays. From there the game became much more back and forth, with both teams fighting through the midfield looking for an opportunity to get ahead.
The Jets would stay dangerous as Winger
Felix Tellez Ramirez was able to speed through the Fort Hays defenders and set up multiple prime opportunities. Both teams would be able to hold out until halftime however, and they would go into the second half level and poised to score
Second half
The final half of play started perfectly for the Jets, as they ran downfield to set up a corner and a shot on goal in the 47
th minute. Fort Hays wouldn't be able to keep them out of the net for much longer though, with Ramirez again running downfield to assist Midfielder
Carlos Bellosta Manchon as he placed the ball in the top of the net to take a 1-0 lead in the 49
th minute.
From there, the Jets would have to put up a wall on defense as Fort Hays started an aggressive run of attacks lasting the rest of the game. A loaded box in 68
th minute put Newman in real danger, but an amazing clear from Defender
Edouard Atangana and a save by Keeper
Juan Carlos Cordova kept a desperate Tigers team out of the net. Even with some late corners and free kicks going their way, they would be shut out as the Jets took their first win of the season. Coach
Cliff Brown would speak highly of his team's efforts after the game, mentioning how hard they fought on defense.
Next up
The Jets go back on the road next week as they look to improve their record, taking on Harding this Thursday, October 13
th at 7PM in Searcy, Arkansas.
